


someone should make a vaccination for this

by ilovethisship



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Almost Fluff, Canon Compliant, Confusion, F/M, Guilt, Pining, Post Episode 55, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 13:36:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18152540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovethisship/pseuds/ilovethisship
Summary: Short conversation between Fjord and Jester after the chaos of episode 55.





	someone should make a vaccination for this

After successfully stowing the Abyssal anchor in their lead-lined safe, the party starts to set up camp. The ease they had developed around one another seems to have vanished.

Fjord sits near the safe with his back against the wall, his hand pressed to his stomach, waiting and watching his friends. Reading people isn’t one of his strengths, but even he can feel the tension in the air. Caleb isn’t looking directly at any of them. While he starts casting the ritual to create his bubble, Nott helps Caduceus rub an ointment from Jester on his burns while Yasha watches from a distance as Beau wraps up one of her many cuts.

Jester is as hard to read as ever, more focused on the well-being of her friends than herself, and he remembers what Caleb said in the bar all those months ago. He remembers her tears that night on the boat. He knows she’s been pulling away from him lately and he doesn’t know how to feel about it. She still knows things about him that no one else does. She still hasn’t told anyone. He still trusts her more than the others (even if that gap gets smaller daily). Sometimes he wonders if she blames him. For getting them kidnapped, getting them involved with Avantika, touching the ruby, leaving her alone in battle when they’re supposed to look out for each other. Other times he wonders if they’re just drifting apart. If they were only close before because it was just the two of them.

* * *

“I’m in pretty good shape,” Nott says before they lay down to rest. “I’ll take first watch.”

“I’ll sit with you,” Yasha offers quietly.

Caleb eyes her warily, but doesn’t argue. Instead, he and Beau take second watch. Caduceus volunteers for the final watch and they all shoot that idea down quickly.

“You _died_.” Jester rubs his forearm again. “You should rest.”

Caduceus just smiles. “If you insist.”

Beau grins at him as she lays down to sleep leaving him feel more than a little unsettled.

* * *

It feels like no time at all before Beau is shaking him awake. Jester is already up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes at the edge of the bubble.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Beau _barely_ whispers.

Fjord bats her hands away. He refuses to give her the satisfaction of any response and tries his best to make his way out of the bubble quietly to sit near the safe.

“How are you feeling?” he asks as Jester adjusts her skirts next to him.

“I’m fine.” Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Sleeping helped.”

“Good.”

“How are _you_ feeling? You got zapped a lot, too.”

He runs his hand over his armor. “I’m alive.”

Jester’s brow furrows. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to heal you.”

“Jester, you—”

“There was so much going on and you were so far away and I didn’t even know you were down until—”

Fjord sets his hand on her forearm and she stops. “That was _my_ fault. I thought we were running. I should have… should have taken you with me, but I couldn’t—”

“I have magic like that, too.” Her frown deepens. “The whole thing got out of control. You couldn’t have known how wrong it would get.”

“I’m _supposed_ to watch out for you.”

“We’re _supposed_ to watch out for each other.”

Fjord opens his mouth to protest, but she’s glaring now and he knows it’s no use. For a minute, he stares at the bubble. They’re all okay and that’s what matters. It matters more than all the pain they had to deal with only hours before. He watches Jester out of the corner of his eye as he says exactly that.

She shrugs. “Do you think Lady Olios would pay us in diamonds if we ask?”

“Huh?”

“Nott wants that favor, but I mean, we’re all _pretty_ powerful, so I don’t know if we need it. Diamonds on the other hand? Much harder to come by.”

“Are they?”

“I looked for weeks before I found _any_ last time.”

“That favor _would_ make things a lot easier, you know.”

“Yeah, if she doesn’t just kill us all for asking.”

He’s been worrying about the same thing. If Nott’s husband really is that important, it might not be smart to bring him up. “That’s… a good point, Jester.”

“Well, I am very smart, you know.”

“I know.” He smiles, but she isn’t looking at him anymore. “Only if Nott agrees, okay?” Jester starts to pick at the hem of her skirt and he bumps her shoulder with his. “What are the diamonds for, anyway?

She bumps him back. “So that I can keep taking care of you, obviously.”

“We’ll make sure you get more diamonds then. I do get myself into a lot of trouble.”

There’s this way he feels when it’s just him and Jester. It isn’t the most comfortable feeling, but at the same time, it is. A weird warmth in his chest every time she smiles at him the way she is now. Comfortable and confused all at once. But also, confident in a way he’s never been. And it’s because of her. He knows it is, because he didn’t feel this way until they were together. He’s used to being seen as a monster and she’s the only one who has never made him feel like one. He’s terrified of looking into her eyes and seeing that fear reflected back at him.

“What are you thinking about?”

Her voice breaks through his thoughts and he forces a smile. “How lucky we are to have you around.” Jester’s eyes go wide and Fjord’s cheeks start to feel warm. “That spell you did earlier. You brought Caduceus back. It was amazing, Jester. You’re a—uh, we’re lucky that you’re so good at healing.”

Her grin is so bright that the room seems to shine with it. “It’s about time someone admitted that I’m the best healer we have.”

His heart almost feels too big for his chest all of a sudden and he ducks his head. “You really are.”


End file.
